About the Access Control Program
As a part of Cornell University’s Division of Public Safety, the Access Control Program (ACP) is responsible for the administration of various physical security services and solutions in support of the University’s mission to provide a safe and secure environment for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The Access Control Program is responsible for the oversight and establishment of Policy 8.1 Physical Security Systems, DCS DIV 28.10.00/16722 Electronic Safety and Security Systems Standards and related procedural documents.
To these ends, the ACP provides the following services:
Electronic Access Control
A secure and scalable alternative to traditional mechanical locks. The University’s centralized solution enables remote monitoring and management of electronic access-enabled doors allowing for the application of time and/or role-based controls. Authorized Administrators can create, alter, and revoke access rights from a centralized platform without the need to visit the managed locations.
Security Video Surveillance Services
Widely deployed across university environments to promote security and safety. The Access Control Program offers a centrally managed platform for recording, archiving, and reviewing security footage.
Brass key inventory management
Available via a centrally hosted and managed software solution, KMS, that enables authorized users the ability to easily keep track of who has been assigned keys, where spares are stored, what doors they open, and more. The current system streamlines the key ordering process and is designed to simplify documentation and audits.
In direct support of the above primary services, the Access Control Program also offers
Consultations, limited project management services, design reviews, and commissioning
Are provided for all Electronic Access Control and Video Surveillance installations. Working with individual colleges, units and departments, the ACP Project Team will visit your site, conduct wireless surveys, review spatial utility, practices and risks to ensure compliance with policy and standards. Additionally, we collaborate in medium-large construction and/or renovation projects. The team will work directly with college and unit representatives, university project managers, and architects on design, configuration and commissioning of access control systems. ACP manages annual preventative maintenance programs to replace aging card access panels and video cameras.
Care & Maintenance of the security infrastructure
That is required to host and manage electronic card access and video surveillance security devices and software. This includes real-time monitoring of the health of all deployed devices to maximize lifecycle and system operations. All devices receive regular periodic maintenance in compliance with industry best practices and university policies and standards.
Training and 24/7 support
Provided for authorized end users ranges from delivering software training to a timely response to help requests. Comprehensive software training is required prior to the end user receiving access to the application in addition to offering targeted topic-specific sessions based on academic calendar demands or new system features. The team provides help and guidance to our community and user base in response to help request submissions for new hardware, trouble tickets, “how to” and general questions, new or changing user authorizations, etc.
In addition to our college and unit users, we partner with many campus departments in an effort to provide a seamless integration experience. Partners include the Cornell University Police Department, Office of the University Registrar, Facilities & Campus Services, Student and Campus Life, IT @ Cornell, and more.
Should you need guidance, assistance or have questions about the services the ACP provides, you can contact us by emailing accesscontrol@cornell.edu, or submitting a Help Request.